I'm a Celebrity's Laurina Fleure has endured a lifetime of health complications.

Laurina Fleure‘s partner Lewis Romano has defended the embattled I’m a Celebrity star, after she refused to participate in a “tucker trial” last week on the show.

That tucker? “A bull’s eye surrounded by blood-soaked roasted maggots served on a bed of rock salt with a slice of lemon.”

Fleure told fellow contestants at the time that she wasn’t even “going to try” because she had “boundaries and that’s not OK”.

Speaking to news.com.au following the airing of the episode, Romano lept to his girlfriend’s defence, saying she is “no princess”.

“I understand that perception is out there, but the real Laurina — the Laurina I know — is first to roll her sleeves up. She’s really not a princess, and not afraid to get her hands dirty,” he told the publication.

“I think it’ll be great to see her do more fear-related physical challenges on the show, because she’ll nail them. With her history with the stomach issues, it was no surprise she wasn’t down for eating a bull’s eye with maggots on top.”

Fleure was born with a twisted bowel and has endured a lifetime of intestinal complications as a result. It was surgery on her stomach that forced her to drop out of the first season of I’m A Celebrity at the very last minute.

The couple first met in July last year in Italy, and according to Romano have been inseparable since that first meeting.

Circa rooftop!! Gorgeous day! Engagement Party With @lewisromano #tashandsaar

A photo posted by Laurina Fleure (@laurinafleure) on Nov 14, 2015 at 9:38pm PST

“From the start we’ve been in each other’s company 24 hours a day, it was a very natural and quick”, he said.

When pressed by the publication as to how their relatively new relationship will cope with the distance, Romano was confident it would make them stronger than ever.

“I don’t know that it’ll be a test — I think there’s great potential for us to be even stronger once it’s all over. After only eight months, it’s a long time to be apart. When we are reunited, it’ll be a rebirth again.”

Feature image via Instagram/LaurinaFleure.

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